


Paper Cuts

by satan_copilots_my_tardis



Series: Signal Flares [6]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: F/F, M/M, Manipulation, Older!Dipper, Older!Mabel, and bill's a little shit, demons being demons, dipper isn't dumb, minor descriptions of violence and past torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-04
Updated: 2015-04-04
Packaged: 2018-03-21 05:45:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3680169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/satan_copilots_my_tardis/pseuds/satan_copilots_my_tardis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As they watch the portal grow smaller and smaller until it finally disappears with a sigh Dipper feels all’s right in the world.<br/>Of course he’s wrong. </p><p>Dating a demon is a lot of things. Easy isn’t one of them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Paper Cuts

**Author's Note:**

> A few flashbacks sandwiched between the summer after graduation/the last scene of Powdered Hope. A lot of exposition in this one and a little angst.

The twins don’t really start unpacking in all seriousness until early August after they’ve graduated. Normally Dipper would have insisted that they get started immediately but getting back into the swing of Gravity Falls strangeness takes a bit of time. Adding in their brush with death a week ago with the Shape Shifter and Dipper thinks it’s entirely reasonable that they’ve taken a while to get settled in. Unfortunately, they notice as they finally start to make headway in their unpacking, the attic can’t comfortably hold the two of them and all their belongings. So with heavy hearts they trade their room of six summers with Soos and move down into his breakroom. Or at least Dipper’s moved into the break room. Mabel’s boxes are still gravitating between the two rooms but she hasn’t had the time to finish transitioning yet. He could move her things for her but he doesn’t, deriving an unhealthy amount of amusement when she gets frustrated to the point of yelling when she can’t find her belongings.

The sun had set a few hours ago and the Shack is fairly quiet. He hears the muffled sound of the TV from down the hall where he’s sure Stan’s half asleep and the soft sounds of crickets in the forest. Mabel’s out with Grenda and Candy and he doubts she’ll be home before midnight so he just relaxes into the quiet. Well, not relaxes exactly. He’s sitting up in bed surrounded by books, papers, charts, and notes. There’s a pen hanging from his mouth and a chalk circle drawn around his bed. It serves as a rudimentary ward, so that no one, or nothing, can see what he’s working on. His stomach had churned uneasily when he’d first put it up but he knows its necessary. He doesn’t want anyone to know what he’s working on.

All of his resources pertain to one thing and one thing only: Bill Cipher. The dream demon, the master of the Mindscape, his partner. Dipper tries not to think about that last part too critically because it doesn’t change anything. He knows that Bill’s got plans of his own, and dating or not, it’s his responsibility to figure out what they are. Not that this reasoning makes it any easier. His chest is tight as he compiles piece after piece of evidence that the demon has been manipulating him, all of them.

* * *

“Dipper are you going to stay in here all break reading that book?” Mabel whines as she sticks her head in their bedroom. “Finals are over, stop studying!” The sixteen year old only grunts in response to her inquiry, far too distracted by the text in front of him to really catch what she’d said. His attention is quickly grabbed however when a candycane bounces off his head with a crack.

“Ow Mabel! What was that for?”

“You didn’t hear a word I said did you?” Mabel walks over to his bed and sits criss-cross applesauce, as she would say, at his feet.

“Sorry.” He rubs the sore spot on his head.

“What’s got you do distracted?”

“I got a new book from my contact in Blithe Hollow, it’s all about demonic rituals and I noticed something that has me worried.” He admits softly.

“What about?”

“Who’s the only demon we know?” Mabel makes a quiet sound of understanding.

“What did you find?”

“Well I found a section on animal viscera which was weirdly specific about what parts demons use to what end. Naturally I looked up what deer teeth were used for.”

“Naturally.” Mabel agrees sarcastically

“And apparently the teeth are a traditional gift on which the foundation of a deal can be made. The more teeth given the more binding the contract.”

“But you never made any more deals after the Bipper incident.” Her voice lifts slightly with concern. “Right?”

“Right, yeah, no need for a repeat of that nightmare.” He shudders. “But Bill gave me thirty-two teeth, which is the max that a demon can give unless they happen upon a weirdly mutated demon with extra teeth or something, okay?”

“Okay?”

“So I thought that was weird, but Bill’s always been a little weird and I read the section on giving hearts and blood and that was pretty standard, or demonic standard anyway, with the courting rituals that he’s told me about so I thought that maybe the teeth were just sort of the foundation for the ritual.”

“Speaking of which you never elaborated on what exactly a courting ritual with a demon entails, or if you’d accepted yet.” Mabel frowns at him sternly and he feels his cheeks flush.

“I haven’t. And I’m not telling you about the courting thing. I was making a completely different point.”

“Fine. Continue, Professor Pines.” She flops over onto her side.

“So I decided to look up intestines, you know, just for fun.” He frowns down at the book. “And it says that accepting a gift of intestines can represent a bridge between one coven and another. By treating and weaving the intestines together it binds the two covens together.”

“Oooh are we witches now?”

“Mabel, this is serious.”

“Why? I mean Bill gave us those things like two summers ago and nothing bad's happened yet.”

“But something did happen Mabel!” He snaps. “He gave them to us on the summer solstice! That’s the longest day of the year and he should have been at his weakest because of it since he’s a dream demon, but he wasn’t. I didn’t even notice what had happened at first, to be entirely honest, and when I did notice I just ignored it and I bet you did the same.”

“Noticed what Dipper? You’re making a big deal out of nothing.”

“After that day Bill never appeared in the Mindscape again.” He snarls. “He would show up, hang around, but we never entered the Mindscape, he just appeared and the world kept turning. He’s not supposed to be able to do that.”

“How do you know?”

“He told me, during the Bipper incident, that he can’t exist in our world without a vessel. But he’s here now and I don’t see him possessing anyone.” He takes a breath. “When we accepted those gifts on the solstice we gave him permission to exist in our ‘realm’. We took away his one weakness.”

“Well does the book say any way to reverse it?” Dipper hesitates, just for a second, before answering.

“Yeah, destroying the objects should destroy the contract.”

“Well we’d have to wait until summer.” Mabel ponders. “I always leave the crown there so I don’t have to explain it to Mom or Dad.” She looks at him. “Do you want to break the contract?” Dipper’s throat goes dry as he considers it. They should. They should banish Bill back into the Mindscape. Even if it ruins the relationship between the demon and the Pines, it would be the right thing to do in the long run. Bill made the contract without their knowledge or consent, he can’t be trusted, and they should banish him.

“Let’s wait. Now that we know what’s going on and how to fix it I think we should save it as a last resort.”  Mabel smiles at him knowingly.

“Okay, now for what I came to do.” She snatches up his book and slips in a bookmark as he protests before shoving it under his bed. “We’re making a gingerbread house, come on! Get off your lazy butt! I’m going to get you into the Christmas spirit if I have to inject it between your toes while you’re sleeping.”

“Okay, okay, fine, jeez. Since when do you talk like a serial killer?”

“Around the same time as I started wearing a flower crown made out of deer intestines and you developed a crush on a demon. Up. Come on. This is going to be fun.” Dipper lets her link their arms and drags him from the room, but his thoughts stay with the book shoved haphazardly underneath his bed. 

* * *

“Hey there, Pine Tree, wanna ditch work?” Dipper yelps when Bill materializes on the counter. He glances around at gift shop and notes that most of the partons are gathering for Stan and Mabel’s next tour.

“I’m not ditching work also you’re not supposed to be here during open hours.” He frowns at the demon.

“Well I guess you won’t be in the forest today then?” Bill casually inspects his claws which sets alarm bells ringing in his mind.

“Why?”

“Well the migration of the floating eyeballs is today and I just thought it would be a shame if you missed it.”

“Migration? Where do they go?” The demon always knows just the right thing to say for him to become thoroughly distracted.

“Their home dimension for winter.”

“They aren’t from this dimension?” Dipper wishes that he had the journal to jot down some notes. “When is this supposed to happen? The Shack closes at six.”

“Sunset’s about seven forty-three so you should make it if you take the golf cart. It’s about three miles south of here, and trust me kid, you’ll know when you’re getting close.”

“Thanks for telling me.” Dipper smiles at the demon and Bill twirls his cane. “Are you going to be there?”

“Nah, you go have fun with your friends, Pine Tree, being around interdimensional portals that I didn’t create makes me twitchy. Don’t fall in!” Bill flares brightly one final time before vanishing with a faint crackle.

“Hey Soos, you want to go watch the floating eyeball migration?” He shouts into the other room.

“Sure little dude, sounds cool.”

Only he, Soos, and Wendy end up heading out to watch the eyeballs migrate that night. The eyeballs are some of the friendlier creatures in the forest and mostly ignore the trio as they gather around a small swirling vortex that appears in the ground. Some of the smaller floating creatures take an interest in them, hovering around and watching them. Dipper has to force Soos to let one of the baby eyeballs go, the man-child having wanted to take it home as a pet, but overall the outing goes off without a hitch and Dipper’s able to add a page of observations to the journal. As they watch the portal grow smaller and smaller until it finally disappears with a sigh Dipper feels all’s right in the world.

Of course he’s wrong. 

* * *

Dipper is sitting in the living room two nights later channel surfing when the happy little delusion comes tumbling down. He watches the news for a brief moment, the image of a mangled car dominating the screen before quickly flashing to a photo of a woman in her late thirties.

“Wife and mother Johanna Pride died this Thursday night when her brakes failed on her way home causing a three car pileup. While the other two drivers weren’t seriously injured Mrs. Pride was pinned down in her car and struggled to hang on for forty-five minutes while paramedics and firefighters attempted to extract her from the wreckagebefore succombing to her injuries. Her family could not be reached for comment at this time but they remain in the thoughts of everyone at the station.”  Dipper frowns at the woman’s picture one final time before changing the channel.

“Hey Dipper.” Pacifica enters the living room as Mabel goes off to get her sweater.

“Hey Pacifica. You and Mabel going out?” He mutes the TV and sits up from the couch.

“Yeah, we’re going mini-golfing.”

“Watch out for Lilliputtians.”

“I’m bringing teargas.” Dipper almost wants to say that sounds a little extreme but a part of him thinks it’s reasonable. “Hey, are you and Mabel still hanging around that demon guy?”

“Bill? Yeah, why?” He watches as her mouth thins into a tight line.

“Did you hear about that car accident outside of town?”

“Yeah, I just saw it on the news.” He gestures absently to the TV. He wants to ask what that has to do with Bill but there’s a sinking in his stomach that tells him the answer before Pacifica even speaks.

“Look I could have misheard, but I was out for a walk the other night and I saw triangle guy-Bill?- in the north part of the woods talking to this guy. He was wearing a cheap suit and he kept wringing his tie as he talked and it was all about his wife. He kept saying he wanted her to get what’s coming to her, and that he wanted her to suffer before she died.” Pacifica shudders “It was really freaky, but I didn’t really know what to do, so I kept it to myself.” The blonde seems to fold in on herself a little. “I should have came and told you sooner, but I just, I knew you guys were friends with him, and I didn’t know-” There’s an edge of panic rising in her tone and Dipper stands up, wanting to put his hand on her shoulder or take her hand like he would with Mabel but he doesn’t, not knowing if Pacifica would appreciate such actions.

“Hey it’s not your fault. If Bill really did make a deal to kill this woman there’s absolutely nothing that could be done. No one could have stopped it.” He settles for patting her shoulder briefly. “Besides it might not have been safe for you to get involved.” Dipper’s not sure if she’s safe now.

“He killed her.” Her voice is rough and he hopes she’s not about to cry. He’s really bad at comforting crying people with his luck he’ll tell her about the Lamby Dance just to distract her and then she’ll blackmail him for the rest of their lives. “He really killed her.”

“He’s a demon. It’s in his nature.” The words are said with a dry tone and Dipper’s mouth tastes sour. He shouldn’t be surprised. He knows what Bill is, he should have been prepared for something like this to happen, he should have known. “Pacifica, don’t worry about this, I’ll deal with it.” He promises as reassuringly as he can. “Thanks for telling me. I don’t think I can understand how hard this was for you.” She gives him a weak smile. “Just enjoy your date, there’s nothing else you can do.”

“Okay.”

“Hey Mabel if you don’t get down here soon I’m gonna steal your girlfriend!”

* * *

He does deal with it, like he told Pacifica he would. He deals with it poorly by having a shouting match with Bill on what he suspects was supposed to be a ‘date’ about causing trouble in town, to which the demon just shrugs it off and disappears. They don’t speak for two weeks and after that Dipper never catches wind of any other deals that Bill’s made in town. He searches for proof that the demon’s still causing strife and he’s absolutely sure he is but Dipper can’t prove it any more. Somehow he thinks the not knowing is worse.

* * *

“Where’s Cipher?” Stan grunts as he walks into the twin’s new room. Mabel is sitting on her bed with Pacifica playing with Waddles while Dipper is scouring the internet for an archaic Latin dictionary to go with the Grimoire that he’s gotten Mabel for her birthday.

“Bill’s got business in the Mindscape today, why?” He answers with a raised eyebrow.

“So he’s not actually attached to your hip? That’s surprising.” The old man mutters sarcastically. Dipper frowns at Stan and his Grunkle relents.

“Why are you looking for Bill, Grunkle Stan?” Mabel asks before blowing  raspberry against Waddles stomach, causing the pig to squeal and Pacific to laugh.

“I thought we’d do that movie night you’ve been pulling for and wanted to know if the evil Dorito was going to be annoying me all night.” Mabel whoops and jumps off her bed, dragging Pacifica after her talking quickly. They’re out the door in a split second and he thinks they might be heading to the video store, but he’s not entirely sure.

“Wait a second, were you going to invite Bill to a family function? Willingly?” Instead of just being frustrated when the demon inevitably shows up and starts causing trouble, goes unsaid but is hidden under Dippers words.

“I just wanted some warning so I could take some tylenol.” Stan snaps before heading out of the box filled room. “I still don’t get what you see in him, kid.”

“Well I’m right with you there.” He sighs as he turns back to the computer.

* * *

That night got Dipper’s attention and afterwards he starts noticing that his Grunkle’s usually blatant hatred of the demon has been becoming a little more subdued. Do the two still bicker and argue nearly constantly? Of course. But some of the animosity, the venom that would fill Stan’s voice, had lessened. And because Dipper really is as observant as he always claimed to be as a child he noticed at the same time Stan’s mood seemed to start changing Bill started working more and more from the Mindscape.

* * *

Dipper’s not a fool. He knows that something is happening in the relationship and when Stan suddenly stops calling Bill 'Cipher' he's positive the change isn't organic. Dipper feels no remorse for assuming the worst towards the demon and waits for a night when Mabel isn't home before sneaking into their Grunkle’s room. He stands over Stan’s sleeping form with the journal in hand. The spell will only work if Bill’s in Stan's mind and a part of him, one that he tries his best to smother, hopes that it won't work.

He chants the verse and he’s flickering into existence in Stan's mind. Dipper looks around at the broken version of the Shack and there's a pain that builds in his chest. He’s always known that Grunkle Stan wasn't the most normal or stable person but seeing the wreckage of his psyche makes the damage real. Dipper looks at the broken dual swing set, noticing a thin web of blue fibers has connected the broken side back together. The damage is still obvious but the second seat now sits at the same height as the first.

“What did you do?” Dipper murmurs to himself as he touches the repaired seat. He pushes on it gently and it sways back and forth without a creak. He knows what he’s looking for now and heads up the steps into the Shack. The door swings open at the slightest touch and he starts making his way down the halls of memories. At least he knows what to look for now. He pushes open a door at random and enters. It’s from the solstice when he and Mabel were fifteen, though later at night, probably long after they had gone to bed.

“Hey there Stanford,” Memory Bill says cheerfully as he appears next to Stan who is walking through the gift shop. Dipper stays carefully out of sight on the off chance that this Bill could be able to see him and might warn the real Bill of his presence. “Doing a little late night science project? Sounds fun, want me to lend a hand?”

“Get the hell out of here, Cipher. And stay away from my kids.” Dipper feels a little surge of warmth at Stan’s phrasing and protectiveness.

“Aw but why would I do that when they’ve been kind enough to give me an all-access pass to your reality?  The four of us are going to have a good time together I just know it! Besides I like that Dipper kid, he’s gonna do great things, definitely greater than that relic you’re looking for. An upgrade, a 2.0, and with a little training I’ll bet Shooting Star and Pine Tree will be the best ‘Mystery Twins’ this town has ever seen!”

“Stay away from them Cipher or so help me I’ll--” What happens next is strange. Dipper watches the memory unfold in two ways, lying over top one another. One version of Stan raises his fist and yells something at Bill while the second, lead by blue strings, growls and walks out of the gift shop. Dipper reaches forward and gently caresses the blue strands. They don’t feel very sturdy, a bit more elastic than spider silk but not as solid as sewing thread, so he pulls on one. It snaps immediately and the doubled image flickers a little. He suspects if he destroys all the strands the tampering will disappear completely. Dipper rips away half the strands and now original memory Stan is watching second memory Stan walk away in a huff. Dipper heads towards the door and exits his Grunkle’s mind. It would be unreasonable to go through all of Stan’s memories and destroy every strand of Bill’s influence, But he has no doubt now that Stan is aware something is wrong the older man will take precautions.

The next afternoon he sneaks into Stan’s room while he’s at the store and finds an intricate chalk circle drawn on the ceiling directly over Stan’s bed. And after that day Bill goes back to being called Cipher and his Grunkle’s glares have become even more hostile and suspicious.

* * *

Dipper flips the page in one of the old blood magic books that Bill had given him back when the demon had first decided to court him. He looks at gruesome ritual after gruesome until he finds the page he’s looking for and skims over the process again. He’d read what it takes to create a magical amulet like the one Gideon had worn, like the one Mabel is never further than arms reach of these days, and it’s almost more horrifying now. The fairy wings needed for the ritual must be harvested from freshly born fairies and they must stay alive until after the ritual has been completed. He cringes at the idea Mabel had mutilated at least fifteen of the creatures and kept them alive after that agony.

He knows that she did the ritual. He knows that she didn’t just ‘happen across it’. He knows that Lithium Quartz is incredibly rare and only forms in Brazil. He knows that the first time Bill had approached them amiable he’d instructed them to the birth of the fairies. He knows the Bill’s the one who healed Mabel’s burns after the Gnomes and he knows that even if Bill hadn’t told her to kill Jeff that he had encouraged her to seek revenge. He knows. He knows. He knows.

Dipper throws the book away and shoves a good amount of his research onto the floor with a frustrated yell. The books clatter to the floor with heavy thuds and the papers flutter around him like confetti while his throat tightens and pressure builds up behind his eyes. His bed is almost empty by the time he calms down and he has the third journal in hand. Bill’s image stares up at him and he fingers the deer teeth necklace with his other hand. He still doesn’t have any idea what the demon is up to and he has no doubt that Bill knows that he’s been investigating the manipulations. Dipper moves to turn the page and hisses when the yellowed paper slices through his finger. A bead of blood wells up and drips onto the page. A bitter laugh escapes him as his blood mingles with the stains left before him. He licks away the blood on his hand as he shuts the journal and sets it on the nightstand before climbing out of bed.

He knows that no one can be allowed to see the research he’s been compiling so he gathers up his materials finger stinging as he does. Dipper puts all of the notes into his nightstand drawer. Inside he’s drawn a chalk circle to keep Bill out and a quick locking spell and Harry Potter-esque disillusionment charm will keep out everyone else. He doesn’t even want to imagine what Stan would do with the information that’s hidden there. Afterwards he picks up  an old rag and scrubs away the chalk circle around his bed before changing into his pajamas and lying down. He stares at the ceiling for a long time, pressing against the fresh cut and monitoring the tingle of pain that shoots up his arm. Dipper’s not entirely sure how long he does this before Bill is appearing.

“Hey there, Pine Tree! You’re up late, what’s eating you kid?” Bill snaps his fingers and the illusion of a large mouth swallowing the human whole appears and disappears in a flash. Dipper’s throat is tight when he replies.

“Just feeling a little restless.”

“Well no going out into the forest for a romp tonight, not after last week.” The demon warns playfully.

“I wasn’t planning on it.” His chest aches with the phantom agony of being ripped open and he looks over at Mabel’s empty bed. “Will you stay with me tonight?” There’s a burning building up behind his eyes and he tries to cripple the feelings before Bill can notice.

“Probably shouldn’t, though I am tempted, Shooting Star will be home soon.”

“Not like that, just to sleep.” He clarifies.

“Oh, sure!” Bill floats down to the bed and Dipper curls around the demon’s body. His skin tingles and burns as he shuts his eyes.

“Night Bill.”

“Sleep tight, Pine Tree, don’t let the nightmares bite.” Dipper’s skin is still sparking with pain as he tries to calm his mind enough to fall asleep but he can no longer feel the cut on his hand and that’s reassuring enough to help him nod off.

He doesn’t wake when Mabel comes home and he sleeps until late in the morning the next day. He notices that he doesn’t feel as mistrusting of Bill as he did last night. Somehow that’s worse as Dipper wonders if his mind is a web of blue magic and the demon’s influence.

**Author's Note:**

> IDK I just think paper cuts describe how it feels to love a demon, everyone sees the little wound but no one realizes just how bad it hurts. Hope you enjoyed more to come soon. EDIT To help alleviate some confusion I've added a timeline in the comments below.


End file.
